


Rocket Butts and Healing Hearts

by Saesama



Series: 28xFirst Kiss Combo [11]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Robot/Human Relationships, dirk honey theres a better way to get a girlfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 10:52:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saesama/pseuds/Saesama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's by far the most impressive thing you've ever made. But you're still not sure you should have let John and Dave have any input in the design process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rocket Butts and Healing Hearts

Your hands shake just a little as you make the last connection. This is it. The final splice in the most ambitious, most important, most heart-breaking project in your life.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. When the Batterwitch died, she was supposed to just _die_ , not latch onto the lifeforce of one of your friends like a hellish leech to drag along for the ride into hell. But she had, and Jade's screams still haunted your nightmares. Jane had leapt forward, her Life powers against the Condesce in a vicious tug of war for Jade's very essence because a God couldn't resurrect if there was no life force to come back to their body. But the Condesce was too old, too powerful, too experienced. 

Rose and Roxy supported Jane, wiping blood from her cheeks and chin and ears as she fought. John and Jake held Jade, each begging and encouraging in turn, trying to keep Jade alive that much longer. You and Dave worked fast, just in case, Captchaloguing Jade's mind and heart and body and everything else you could, Dave's face streaked with tears and your jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

It was all futile. Jade died For Good and for the first time in your life you shed tears.

The robot looks like her, and it wrenches a little every time you look at it, even as you slave obsessively to make as close of a replica as possible. Jade deserves nothing less than the full brunt of your skills. You reluctantly allowed Roxy to help with the programming, but most of the work is yours. And now you're done. Her brain captcha is in her programming and her heart captcha is hidden deep in her code (the mistake you made with AR, and you won't repeat it) You pray desperately to the deities you replaced that this works. You should wait, should warn the rest of your friends. You don't. You can't.

You activate the Jadebot.

There's a hum, a whirr, and the green glass of her optics takes on a faint glow. She lifts her head, blinks owlishly, _humanly_ , and the faint sounds of her optic shutters across glass echoes in your ears. She looks like Jade, she moves like Jade, and your breath seizes in your throat. "Dirk," she says, and fuck _yes_. "Did you really install a buster cannon in my arm?"

Your short laugh is a little cracked. She throws her arms around you, not bothering to check her strength because Jade Harley never let bodily limits stop her from hugging someone with all of her heart and like fuck if you care about bruises. You hug her back, relief hampered by regret that you never did this while she was still alive.

"There's a rocket launcher in my butt," she whispers into your neck, and you're fairly certain that she'd be crying if she were capable. "Dirk, you put a rocket launcher in my butt, you complete douche-canoe!"

"John's idea," you croak, grinning where she can't see.

She laughs, bright and clear, and briefly squeezes the air out of you before she lets you go. Mostly. Her hands are still on your shoulders and she tips her head at you, just shy of uncanny valley. "Why?" she asks.

Fuck, if only you knew. If only you had the words. It started because she's Jane's compassion and Jake's optimism, and it continued because for the first time you've met someone who's more than your match in both power and intellect and you want to know how far you can push each other. "Because," you say. "If we're going to bring you back to life, I need someone smarter than me to help me figure it out."

She blinks at you, then grins, ceramic teeth flashing against copper lips, and you're struck by the urge to kiss her stupid. Which is dumb, she's a _robot_ , no matter how lifelike. Roxy didn't program her with _those_ instincts, you both agreed that doing so was just creepy and-

She cups your face in both hands and kisses you stupid.

Her lips are segmented to mimic the suppleness of flesh and your lip gets pinched between two thin plates and she tastes like ozone and copper and you do not give one bit of a fuck because of the very few kisses you've had, this is by far the best and all of the time you spent on her is being repaid a thousand times over. 

"Well, Mr Hero-of-Soul," she says, letting you go. "We've got a _lot_ of work to do, so let's get started!"

"Right," you say, then you lean in and kiss her again because you're about eighty percent certain she'll let you get away with it. Your hypothesis proves correct.


End file.
